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Jim Kelly isn't scared of dying from cancer

Appearing at a one-day football camp, former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly threw passes with kids and talked about making a difference in their lives. He also said he wasn't scared of dying from cancer.

Radiation and chemotherapy treatments for sinus cancer have taken away Jim Kelly's hair and he's dropped 51 pounds, but the former Buffalo Bills quarterback hasn't lost his sense of humor.

After taking one question Tuesday morning at his one-day football camp at St. John Fisher College, the Pro Hall of Famer acted as if the interview was done and turned to walk away. He was joking, of course.

"I was a kid once and I know what it's like to look forward to doing something and look forward to meeting somebody," Kelly, 54, said, explaining that while he feels fatigued he couldn't stay away from Fisher, where the Bills open training camp on Friday.

"I want to make a difference in these kids' lives, not only on the field but from what I'm going to tell them later on about the choices they make as young adults that can impact what they become," Kelly said.

"If you say you're going to be there, you be there," he added about attending the camp. "That's pretty much how I was raised."

He's scheduled to have an MRI in the middle of August to determine how well the treatments have worked. Kelly also spoke about his thoughts on the Bills this season, former teammate Andre Reed going into the Hall of Fame this summer and about his wife, Jill, and daughters, Erin and Camryn, as he continues his recovery.

"The best thing for me is when I'm up in the morning and I'm eating my breakfast through my tube to see my daughters and my wife walk out and to see the smiles that are always on their faces every single morning. That's what I need," Kelly said. "When you've had family support like I've had and public support like I've had there's no way that I'm not going to beat this because a lot of it's mental."

Asked if he's afraid of dying, Kelly smiled and said he is not.

"If it's my turn, if the good Lord decides that 55 is my age, so what. I'll be going to see my son (Hunter) a little earlier than I thought I was going to. But the key for me is I know I have a lot more to do, a lot more lives to change and a lot of people out there are going to change my life. I'm still a long ways away (from dying), I hope and pray."